Supplemental Learning Material

Member Comments about this Lesson

Thanks KBR. Good lesson for a quick update on playing rhythm using different chords. Applied immediately at a rehearsal with a new band. I've always been a solo acoustic player supporting a harmonica player in a blues duo and I am learning electric blues as we are forming a band. You are a great teacher that keeps it simple and relaxed. Like your style a lot and your guitars. Jay

Thanks, Tyler..need ya on Drums on some of these! and a Bass man.
These 9ths are easy and important to get Gigs, only BB gets to Solo all night, the rest of us Have to play Rhythm Guitar, too!
enjoy,
KBR

Ladies and gentlemen, JamPlay is proud to present an amazing electric blues player appropriately named Kenny "Blue" Ray. Kenny has been playing for over 40+ years and is bringing his knowledge forward...

Kenny brings forth the next step in electric blues. Here he demonstrates the 3rd scale and provides some tips on playing Texas and Chicago blues. In the second half of this lesson, Kenny ties scales 1-3...

Kenny brings us some great information regarding turnarounds. He demonstrates some of the most common blues turnarounds and explains how to achieve some of the sounds created in Texas and Chicago blues.

Kenny shares some great tips on how to incorporate both rhythm and lead guitar together in your blues playing. These tips will enable you to create a massive blues sound in any environment or situation.

Kenny enlightens us as to how tension notes are used in blues. He demonstrates the theory behind these specific notes and how they are used. Kenny also delves into his past with some great personal stories...

Kenny quickly dives straight into a T-Bone Walker rhythm style in the key of A. He begins with a more simple rhythm and progresses to advanced rhythmic techniques to round out your creative bag of tricks.

Derived from the Latin genre, the Boogaloo is a unique rhythm that fits surprisingly well in the blues. It became popular during the 60's and can be heard in other musical genres such as jump blues, R&B,...

Jam session? Live gig? There are many situations one may encounter that will require playing with other guitarists. Kenny explains how to create a fuller arrangement by using different chord voicings from...

Harmonica players are a staple of blues music. Why not pick up some tips and tricks and join the fun with your guitar? Kenny demonstrates some some popular blues accompaniment figures used to back up a...

Welcome to Kenny's 30th lesson! To celebrate, Kenny has decided to demonstrate Buddy Guy's lead style. This lesson is a great opportunity to pick up on some classic leads as well as some American blues...

Kenny grabs his guitar and digs deep into the style of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Here, Kenny demonstrates SRV's rhythm style and some of his signature licks. This one is a must see and is sure to open some...

KBR takes us to the light at the end of the tunnel. You can write a killer song, but it's the ending that ties it all together. Kenny covers a few well known endings and provides some insight on how to...

Kenny covers some basic blues progressions in the key of E major and demonstrates how E minor pentatonic ideas can be incorporated into them.

Length: 7:17Difficulty: 2.5Members Only

About Kenny RayView Full Biography
Kenny is a blues veteran of 40 years whose pedigree includes recording and appearing with artists the caliber of William Clarke, Little Charlie and the Nightcats, Charlie Musselwhite, Smokey Wilson, Albert Collins, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Kenny Ray was born in Lodi, California on January 11, 1950. His interest in music was forged by his father, who played guitar, harmonica, accordion, piano and fiddle. Seeing Elvis perform on the Ed Sullivan show in 1956 sealed Kenny's passion to play guitar. His father bought Kenny his first guitar in 1958 for $7.00, His dad later bought Kenny his first real Electric guitar, a 1959 black Danelectro for $38.50, In Stockton, California.

Kenny's obsession with the blues was triggered by the infamous Wolfman Jack, when as an eleven year old, Kenny would lie in bed listening to the radio to the sounds of Jimmy Reed B.B. King and Howlin' Wolf on XERB-FM, from Chula Vista, California, and was inspired by music that Kenny claims "just totally blew my mind." Seeing his hero, Keith Richards in 1964 in Sacramento, also was a big decision in going professional, The Guitars in the Stones say a lot, and work well together, ala Jimmy Reed/Eddie Taylor, & Robert Jr & Luther Tucker (a Friend Kenny met in 1976). Kenny and his guitarist friends would skip school to learn Albert King's album, "Born Under A Bad Sign" and B.B. King's live album, "Blues Is King" in the mid 60's developing licks and vibrato from the masters.

Serving in the Air Force from 1969-72, Kenny was based in South Ruislip, London, England, and worked in RAF Hillingdon) where he hooked up with ex-Jr. Walker band member Ferdnand Jones in a nine piece soul review called El Jade, where they covered Al Green, Aretha Franklin and "lots of blues."

On his return to the States, Kenny spent two years touring California with the Paul Herman Band. In 1975 he joined Little Charlie and the Nightcats, which at the time was fronted by Charlie Baty on guitar, harp and vocals. Rick Estrin joined the band in 1976, It was a great sound, but Charlie could play so much, Kenny wasn't needed in the Night Cats and not long after, Kenny left and moved to Los Angeles where he became a member of the houseband at Smokey Wilson's Pioneer club, backing artists like Big Joe Turner, Pee Wee Crayton, Lowell Fulson, and Big Mama Thornton.

The late 70's were a productive time for the blues in LA, and Kenny became immersed in the Watts scene and made his recording debut with William Clarke and Hollywood Fats ("Diggin' My Potatoes") and Finis Tasby (a set "Get drunk and be somebody" which remains unreleased) in 1978. William Clarke was a master on the blues harp, and it was a great experience with Bill.

In 1980, Kenny moved to Austin, Texas, where he joined the Marcia Ball Band, touring with her for four years on the Crawfish Circuit and appearing on her 1984 Rounder release "Soulful Dress", which also featured, Stevie Ray Vaughan on Guitar with Kenny on the Title track. During this time Kenny met and became friends with Stevie Ray Vaughan. Further recording sessions followed with Greg "Fingers" Taylor ("Harpoon Man"), Marcia Ball on Varrick, Mitch Woods, Charlie Musselwhite, Ronnie Earl and the Roomful of Blue Horns on the Blind Pig release, ("Solid Gold Cadillac"), and sessions with Tommy Castro, Gary Smith, and others. Blues Harp is a favorite and Kenny had the great honor of working with James Cotton, Little Charlie & The Night Cats, William Clarke (Kenny's favorite), James Harman, Shakey Jake Harris, Rod Piazza and Gary Smith.

Join over 480648 guitarists who have learned how to play in weeks... not years!

Unlimited Lesson Viewing

A JamPlay membership gives you access to every lesson, from every teacher on our staff. Additionally, there is no restriction on how many times you watch a lesson. Watch as many times as you need.

Live Lessons

Exclusive only to JamPlay, we currently broadcast 8-10 hours of steaming lesson services directly to you! Enjoy the benefits of in-person instructors and the conveniences of our community.

Interactive Community

Create your own profile, manage your friends list, and contact users with your own JamPlay Mailbox. JamPlay also features live chat with teachers and members, and an active Forum.

Chord Library

Each chord in our library contains a full chart, related tablature, and a photograph of how the chord is played. A comprehensive learning resource for any guitarist.

Scale Library

Our software allows you to document your progress for any lesson, including notes and percent of the lesson completed. This gives you the ability to document what you need to work on, and where you left off.

Custom Chord Sheets

At JamPlay, not only can you reference our Chord Library, but you can also select any variety of chords you need to work on, and generate your own printable chord sheet.

Backing Tracks

Jam-along backing tracks give the guitarist a platform for improvising and soloing. Our backing tracks provide a wide variety of tracks from different genres of music, and serves as a great learning tool.

Interactive Games

We have teachers covering beginner lessons, rock, classic rock, jazz, bluegrass, fingerstyle, slack key and more. Learn how to play the guitar from experienced players, in a casual environment.

Beginners Welcome.. and Up

Unlike a lot of guitar websites and DVDs, we start our Beginner Lessons at the VERY start of the learning process, as if you just picked up a guitar for the first time.Our teaching is structured for all players.

Take a minute to compare JamPlay to other traditional and new methods of learning guitar. Our estimates for "In-Person" lessons below are based on a weekly face-to-face lesson for $40 per hour.

Price Per Lesson

< $0.01

$4 - $5

$30 - $50

Free

Money Back Guarantee

Sometimes

n/a

Number of Instructors

86

1 – 3

1

Zillions

Interaction with Instructors

Daily Webcam Sessions

Weekly

Professional Instructors

Luck of the Draw

Luck of the Draw

New Lessons

Daily

Weekly

Minutely

Structured Lessons

Learn Any Style

Sorta

Track Progress

HD Video

-

Sometimes

Multiple Camera Angles

Sometimes

-

Sometimes

Accurate Tabs

Maybe

Maybe

Scale/Chord Libraries

Custom JamTracks

Interactive Games

Community

Learn in Sweatpants

Socially Unacceptable

Gasoline Needed

$0.00

$0.00

~$4 / gallon!

$0.00

Mike H.

"I feel like a 12 year old kid with a new guitar!"

I am 66 years young and I still got it! I would have never known this if it had not been for Jamplay! I feel like a 12 year old kid with a new guitar! Ha! I cannot express enough how great you're website is! It is for beginners and advanced pickers! I am an advanced picker and thought I had lost it but thanks to you all, I found it again! Even though I only play by ear, I have been a member a whopping whole two weeks now and have already got Brent's country shuffle and country blues down and of course with embellishments. Thank you all for your wonderful program!

Greg J.

"With Jamplay I can fit in a random session when I have time and I can go at my own pace"

I'm a fifty eight year old newbie who owns a guitar which has been sitting untouched in a corner for about seven years now. Last weekend I got inspired to pick it up and finally learn how to play after watching an amazing Spanish guitarist on TV. So, here I am. I'm starting at the beginning with Steve Eulberg and I couldn't be happier (except for the sore fingers :) Some day I'm going to play like Steve! I'm self employed with a hectic schedule. With Jamplay I can fit in a random session when I have time and I can go at my own pace, rewinding and replaying the videos until I get it. This is a very enjoyable diversion from my work yet I still feel like I'm accomplishing something worthwhile. Thanks a lot, Greg

Bill

"I believe this is the absolute best site for guitar students."

I am commenting here to tell you and everyone at JamPlay that I believe this is the absolute best site for guitar students. I truly enjoy learning to play the guitar on JamPlay.com. Yes, I said the words, ""enjoy learning."" It is by far the best deal for the money.

Join thousands of others that LIKE JamPlay!

Enter your email to get freebies, updates and some sweet offers from our company.